Pete didn't remember exactly why he had chosen to wander around the town center, which was a place he usually avoided due to his reputation, but somehow he had found himself here, even though he instantly regretted whatever unconscious decision that had inspired him to make the journey in the first place, but he also didn't have the energy to leave now that he had arrived.

The courtyard in the center of the coven had been converted into a sort of marketplace, although money wasn't exchanged, instead, homemade goods and crafts were traded for self-grown foods and other similar items. Pete skirted around the few stands that had a decent amount of people gathered near them, not wanting to receive any stares or harsh words right now, he wasn't sure if his fragile psyche would be able to take it.

Pete had just finished another failed session with his mother, during which she had done everything she could to try and draw out his powers, but no matter how angry she made him, or how often she had prodded and taunted him, throwing the loss of Mikey into his face if he didn't produce some sort of results, Pete hadn't been able to do more than make a small stone shake for a brief period of time.

Pete had given up once it became apparent that whatever abilities he possessed had decided to go dormant for the evening, choosing to walk off his frustration and the blinding headache that was throbbing behind his temples until his body was exhausted enough to fall asleep.

Pete knew he could go spend the rest of the night with Brendon and Ryan, but company repulsed him right now. He didn't want to talk about his time with his mother, or pretend that he was ignorant of the pitying glances that his two friends would shoot to each other behind his back. He just wanted everything to go back to normal, to before he knew he had powers, to before he met Mikey, to when he was happy.

And as if the world was determined to add to his misery in any way that it could, someone bumped into Pete just them, jostling him roughly in the process. Pete looked up fearfully, prepared to apologize even though he had done nothing wrong, but the words he had been planning on saying dried up in his throat when he met the honey colored eyes of none other than his mate.

Pete had almost managed to force himself to forgot how gorgeous Mikey was, and how his heart would race at twice its normal speed when he was in his presence, but now that he was face to face with the other vampire, all of those sensations were rushing back to the surface, and Pete was left speechless, his mouth hanging open unattractively as Mikey stared down at him with a worried expression pulling at his perfect features.

"I'm sorry...are you okay?" Mikey asked warily, and fuck - Pete had yet to be graced with the sound of Mikey's voice, and although it probably wasn't anything special relatively speaking, Pete was practically swooning on the spot as he tried to absorb Mikey's meaning instead of simply focusing on his tone like his brain seemed to be doing.

"I - yeah, I'm okay," Pete mumbled quietly, his cheeks flaring bright red as Mikey smiled at him kindly.

"Are you sure? I should have been looking where I was going, but I'm still not used to being around so many people at once." Pete shifted from foot to foot slowly, remembering that Mikey had been on the run out in the world for most of his life, so what was normal to Pete was probably overwhelming to the other vampire.

"Oh...that must be hard." Pete mentally patted himself on the back for being able to form a coherent sentence without embarrassing himself. "Do you like it here though?"

"It's amazing," Mikey gushed, his eyes glittering brightly as he spoke. "I never thought I would see a coven again, so believe me, this is a dream come true."

"Well I'm glad you found us," Pete admitted shyly, subtly shifting his head to the side in the hopes of hiding the crimson tint he was sure his skin was carrying.

"Thank you," Mikey beamed, the dimples which appeared with the gesture almost killing Pete. "By the way, I don't think I caught your name."

"I'm Pete."

"Well Pete, it was nice to meet you, I'm Mikey, and this..." Mikey paused before turning around quickly, waving to Ray who had appeared from a nearby stall much to Pete's chagrin, "is my mate, Ray."

"Hello," Pete muttered under his breath, hoping the sullen cast to his tone wasn't as blindly obvious to the others as it sounded to him.

"We are going to be mated officially soon, Bert is throwing us a small ceremony if you want to come."

"That's great," Pete managed to spit out through gritted teeth, doing his best to ignore the way his stomach sunk down into his toes when Ray wrapped his arm around Mikey lovingly. "I'll try to make it."

"Well I hope we see you there," Mikey grinned, obviously missing out on Pete's internal distress, which Pete wasn't sure if he should be grateful of or not. "We have to get going now, but I'll see you around?" Mikey asked, and even though Pete felt like he was about to break out in a fit of sobs at any moment, he managed to nod his head shakily in affirmation.

Mikey and Ray both waved goodbye to him before heading back toward the residential side of the coven, leaving Pete to stare after their retreating figures longingly, imagining himself in Ray's place. That should be him leading Mikey back to their home, his hand that was intertwined with Mikey's thin fingers, his ceremony that Mikey would share with him.

Pete didn't even flinch when the small fruit stand behind him suddenly collapsed, and although he hadn't meant to break the fragile wooden structure, he was too upset to care about its fate. No one had been near it anyway, but now people were flocking toward the sight of the random act of destruction hurriedly, inspiring Pete to slip away before he was noticed, wiping angrily at the hot tears that were spilling from his eyes with ever increasing frequency.

~~~

Gerard forced himself to leave Frank's house a little after five in the morning, knowing that he didn't have long before the sun would begin to rise. It was still a struggle, especially given the fact that Frank had wrapped himself around Gerard's limbs in an adorable fashion that was also quite difficult to escape from. Frank was apparently a heavy sleeper though given the fact that he didn't stir at all during Gerard's bout of twisting and turning.

They had fallen asleep together last night after cleaning up from their earlier actives, well - Gerard had mostly dozed, but listening to Frank's steady inhalations and running his hands through his hair had been more than enough to keep him entertained for hours. Gerard was still awestruck by how deeply he cared for Frank, and he wished he had more time to bask in his presence.

He would have other opportunities later on though, and he had to get moving now if he wanted to make it back to the coven before daylight, especially since he planned on stopping along the way so he could purchase a cell phone, so after pressing a lingering kiss to Frank's forehead in the form of a silent farewell, Gerard vacated the room as quietly as he could.

Gerard looked both ways once he made it out onto the street, unsure when the curfew Frank had spoken of would be lifted, and the last thing he needed right now was to be arrested. Luck was on Gerard's side though, because he managed to make it through town without incident, and he even found a small electronics shop that had just opened up, making him think that the restrictions had indeed ended or else the store wouldn't receive any business.

Gerard was instantly overwhelmed the second he walked inside, and even though the selection in front of him was probably pathetic compared to what other larger chains carried, Gerard had never seen so many odd devices in his life. After wandering around for a few minutes with what was probably a comical expression of confusion plastered on his face, the half-asleep looking salesman took pity on him and asked what he was looking for.

After explaining that he wanted a pair of cheap cell phones, deciding to buy one for Mikey as well so he could keep him updated when he was outside of the coven, the associate named Dan helped him pick out a model, which just so happened to be having a two for one special at the moment.

Gerard didn't have much money on him, but his meager savings proved enough to cover the purchase. Dan even took the time to walk him through how to use the device when Gerard stared at it blankly once it was in his hand, showing him how to add contacts, as well as call and text.

Gerard immediately took out Frank's number, saving it into his phone so he could send him a quick message saying that last night had been amazing and he hoped they could get together again soon. Frank didn't respond, not that Gerard had really expected him to, he was most likely still fast asleep, but Gerard wanted to leave Frank with something to wake up to besides cold sheets and confusion.

As Gerard made his way back to the church at a rapid pace, sending nervous glances to the increasingly brightening sky as he went, he couldn't help but replay his evening with Frank over and over again. Everything about it had been perfect, from the movie, to the cuddling, to the sex, and Gerard physically ached to create more memories between the two of them as soon as possible.

Gerard was still trying to acclimate himself to having a new person in his life who actually meant something to him, and fuck - Frank was basically everything to him right now, he cared so much for him that it was almost painful. Gerard had no idea being mated would be this intense, although it wasn't like he hadn't spent enough time around Mikey and Ray to have an example of what he should have expected, but it had still managed to catch him off guard. He wanted nothing more than to return to Frank's home and burrow back under the blankets with him, to profess his love to him, to tell Frank that he never wanted to leave his side again.

But Gerard couldn't do that, he had to take things slowly, which was much easier said than done. Gerard ached to make Frank his completely, to have him drink Gerard's blood so he could experience the bond that constantly thrummed through Gerard's veins, but if he didn't approach that subject delicately, he ran the risk of losing Frank forever.

Still - Gerard was considering asking Frank to officially become his boyfriend the next time he saw him, which wasn't nearly enough of a commitment, although it would be a very good start, but he wasn't sure if that was too soon. Maybe he would ask Brendon and Ryan what they thought he should do, they understood humans much better than Gerard did, and an outsider's perspective was something Gerard needed right now since all of the rationality Gerard had once possessed had flown out the window the second he had met Frank.

Whatever happened though, Frank did care for Gerard, his words and actions proved that, not to mention the emotions that Gerard could sense flowing through their bond, and hopefully if Gerard was patient, his affection would transform into a love so strong that he would be willing to stay with Gerard even after the truth was exposed, he had to - Gerard refused to consider any other option right now.

~~~

Frank awoke before his alarm for once, his limbs tingling pleasantly as he stretched idly, basking in the feeling of contentment that hadn't left him since Gerard had appeared at his doorstep last night.

Frank's happiness instantly deflated when he realized that he was alone in his bed though, and even if he hadn't specifically asked Gerard to spend the night, he knew he had fallen asleep snuggled into his side, and Frank had been looking forward to waking up next to him, not to mention making breakfast for someone besides himself for the first time in far too long.

Frank sat up quickly, wanting to ascertain if Gerard had left him a note or something explaining his absence. It wasn't like Gerard had to answer to Frank, and he most likely had places to be which was why he wasn't here, but Frank was clingy by nature, and he didn't know where the off switch to that particular trait resided inside his brain.

Frank didn't find a physical explanation, but when he noticed his phone blinking with a new message which had come from an unknown number, Frank almost knocked the device off of the dresser in his hurry to grab it. Once he clicked on the notification, Frank was filled with a second round of joy, because it was indeed from Gerard, which meant that he had gone out and bought a cell phone just so he could keep in contact with Frank, and the gesture warmed Frank's heart more than Gerard would ever know.

Frank typed out a quick text to Gerard in response, telling Gerard that he also had a great time last night, mentioning the fact that he was free pretty much every evening and he couldn't wait to see Gerard again either. As much as Frank wanted to wait around so he could be near his phone as soon as Gerard responded, he forced himself to get dressed, knowing that Jamia would be here soon to help him open up his practice.

Just as Frank was pulling on his white coat and adjusting his name tag, a harsh knock sounded from downstairs. Frank scowled irritably, because Jamia had keys to his place, so it couldn't be her, meaning it must be a client who couldn't wait one more hour to get their pet treated, or maybe - just maybe, it was Gerard returning with some take-out breakfast.

Frank knew the odds of it actually being Gerard at the door were slim, but even the minute chance had him sprinting down the stairs, his hand quickly pulling the knob open without bothering to look through the peephole first, which left Frank very startled when he was faced with two men in suits instead of someone holding an animal or his current love interest.

"Um...can I help you?" Frank questioned curiously, peering up at the two much taller men who were currently reaching into their jackets.

"Hi - yes, I'm Agent Angus and this here is Agent Young," the shorter of the two introduced themselves, briefly waving an official looking badge in Frank's face, but Frank was too busy wondering if they knew that if they put their names together they would be Angus Young from AC/DC to properly look at it. "I'm assuming you are Mr. Iero?" Frank nodded dumbly, trying to force his sleep-addled brain to figure out why two FBI agents would be calling on him, but he got his answer soon after. "We are investigating the murders that have been taking place in this town, so would it be okay if we asked you a few questions?"

"Um - that's fine," Frank shrugged, backing up slightly to show the agents that it was alright if they entered his home, which they did before immediately pausing in the entryway, "but I don't think I can be of any help."

"So you didn't hear anything the other night when your neighbor was killed, maybe you saw someone suspicious lurking around beforehand?" Agent Young asked kindly, his soft demeanor contrasting his partner's harsher tone.

"No - I went to sleep pretty early that night, but I haven't noticed anything out of place around here."

"No new additions to the neighborhood or anything like that?" Agent Angus pressed, his eyes staring at a spot somewhere around Frank's shoulder intensely.

"Nothing like that," Frank reassured them, even though that was a lie since he knew that Gerard had recently moved in, not to mention Brendon and Ryan had popped out of nowhere not too long ago as well, but they weren't killers, and there was no way Frank was going to supply their names to these odd men.

"Hmm..." Agent Angus grunted lowly, taking a few steps to the left without removing his eyes from Frank.

Frank rubbed his neck subconsciously when he realized that the agent was fixated on the large bruise that was still visible there as if he had never seen a hickey before in his life. Frank had almost forgotten about it entirely by now, and although it was fading, the discolored skin was taking a ridiculously long amount of time to completely heal, and Frank didn't like the not so subtle reminder of whatever the fuck had happened to him that night.

"Was there anything else?" Frank snapped when neither of the men spoke, covering the blemish with his hand in the hopes that hiding it would snap the agents out of the odd trance they were in.

"Uh - no, that's all for now," Agent Young answered sheepishly, digging in his pocket for a business card which he then handed to Frank. "If something happens that you think we need to know about, give us a call."

"Will do." Frank plastered on a fake grin as he ushered the agents outside, although he had no plans of doing any such thing. Something just seemed off with the two of them, and if Frank did actually see something, he would dial plain old 9-1-1 instead.

Jamia appeared on the path just as Frank was about to close the door behind the two men, her eyes narrowing as the agents walked by her. Frank waited until Jamia was inside before sighing heavily, his fingers still rubbing at his bruised skin idly as Jamia dropped her bag on the floor, crossing her arms over her chest while fixing Frank with a worried look.

"Who were they?"

"FBI agents apparently, they are investigating the murders, but they seemed more interested in my hickey instead," Frank scoffed, watching out the nearby window to see if the men stopped at any other house, but they continued down the street until they were out of sight, making Frank even more wary about them then he already was, because if they were truly trying to gather information from the neighbors, they should have asked everyone on the block, not just Frank.

"Huh, maybe they have never seen a love mark before?" Jamia mused, apparently losing interest in the topic now that her curiosity had been sated. "I wouldn't mind giving the taller one a hickey or two," Jamia added on, earning herself a soft laugh from Frank in response.

"Why am I not surprised?" Frank chuckled, but it was a well known fact that Jamia had a preference for men with some height, "but instead of talking about them, wouldn't you rather hear about my night with Gerard?" Frank smirked slyly, bracing himself for Jamia's squeal of excitement which pierced the air only seconds later.

"Tell me everything," Jamia demanded, and Frank was more than happy to indulge her, pushing all thoughts of the strange FBI agents to the back of his mind in favor of gushing about Gerard until they had to open the clinic.

~~~

"You saw it too right?" Dean asked as soon as they had turned the corner, his pace increasing now that the veterinarian couldn't see them.

"Yeah, I did, I was just a lot more subtle about looking than you were," Sam remarked snidely, but Dean was too stoked about the fact that they had discovered their first potential lead to care about his brother's rude tone.

"That's a vamp bite, it has to be, which means that punk knows more than he is letting on."

"Maybe...but he could be a victim too Dean. You know that humans don't remember what happens once they are bitten, so maybe he is clueless in all of this too," Sam argued, but his protests sounded weak to Dean, and he had a feeling Sam was simply voicing them to be difficult and not because he actually believed his theory.

"He wasn't being entirely honest, I could tell, and either way, we are definitely staking out his clinic for the next few nights. If he is helping the vamps, we will catch him red handed, and if not, we won't lose anything besides some shut eye."

"You won't hear any complaints from me," Sam nodded eagerly, stopping by their Impala that they had parked a few blocks away. "Even if he is innocent in this, the vamp might return to feed off him again, and he's our best bet at catching whoever is behind all of these killings, although the fact that he's alive doesn't fit with everything else."

"What are you talking about Sammy? Vamps don't always kill, so it isn't that weird."

"You're right, but ours seems to. We thought it was a rogue, but he's too careful to have lost his mind. If we go with the coven theory, it means that the murders are being committed by multiple vamps, and I guess it's possible that the vet happened to have a run in with a friendly one, or maybe they just took a liking to him and decided to keep him as a plaything."

"If it is more than one vamp, we might not be able to take them alone, when did you say that the others will be here?" Dean asked as he slipped into the driver's seat, cranking the radio to his favorite rock station since Sam had been messing with it on the way there.

"A week, two tops. Bobby was the only one in the area, but he is gathering everyone he can before he heads down here."

"Good - I have a feeling that we are going to need them."

So this was sort of short, not to mention late af, but I know my apologies don't mean shit, and I am not going to promise to be better about updating, because we all know how that turns out.

You can all thank Katy for this chapter since we were chatting and she reminded me that I needed to work on this book.

Things are going to start getting interesting soon though, and I am excited about a few of the events that are coming up, which might mean I will be more motivated to write for this than I have been lately, but I make no guarantees.

Chapter dedicated to psychofrank

I'm a pain in women's clothes

<3 starr